In a conventional managed information system, such as a storage area network (SAN) operable to coordinate access to mass storage devices by a set of users, the network (SAN) interconnects a plurality of storage device nodes and associated interconnection nodes. The storage area network includes a variety of nodes for providing mass storage retrieval services to users, such as storage devices (e.g. disc drive arrays), connectivity devices (e.g. switches and routers), and conventional host computers for executing user applications and software components called agents for monitoring and controlling the nodes in the storage area network. The resultant infrastructure, therefore, for monitoring and controlling the storage area network, defines a complex array of nodes and interconnections.
A storage area network generally has many manageable entities of various types. Conventional storage area networks allocate a particular agent to one or more manageable entities based on matching, or corresponding types. Therefore, the system deploys many agents to correspond to the number and types of manageable entities in the storage area network. In a particular exemplary implementation, the nodes include manageable entities responsive to the SAN management application and include storage entities, connectivity entities, and database entities. The result is a complex set of interrelations between the agents and the corresponding manageable entities.
In such a storage area network, inefficient allocation or failure of the agents affects user ability to monitor and manage the manageable entities. Since the agents direct the operation of a set of manageable entities, a manageable entity, such as a disk storage array, may not be readily accessible to the user or operator of the manageable entities if timely input from the managing agent is not available, leading to user dissatisfaction and possibly to excessive deployment of additional resources.